Vampires Bite: Book 2 (When, Were, & Howl Series)

by Jeanette Raleigh

  Apparently Ali felt the same way. She said,“Hey, none of that. Rob’s a tough guy. Is the amulet with you?”

  “Yes, I mean I’m not wearing it obviously, but it’s in my purse.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right there. Hey, did they call you? Maybe we can trace the call or something.” A sharp voice in the background overshadowed Ali's voice.

  “No, they slipped a letter under the door.” Jen stared at the brochure with Rob’s cheerful smile on the cover. The man made real estate look good. He didn’t really look the part, construction worker maybe, with his arms so full of muscles, not steroid big, but thick and strong.

  “Jen, you need to get out of there. Now. We’re meeting at the doughnut shop on Sprague.” Ali no longer whispered. She could be bossy when she was worried.

  “Wow, you’re right. I’m not thinking clearly. The doughnut shop it is.” Jen felt a shiver along the top of her spine when she realized that if someone could slip a piece of paper under the door, they obviously knew where she worked. She imagined a spy sitting in a car outside just waiting for her to show up.

  Ali was the one with the street smarts. Jen just tagged along. To be fair, she was mourning the loss of a relationship that never even got off the ground. But still, she should be thinking more clearly.

  “Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  In the background, Jen heard Minnie Flagstaff’s high-pitched exclamation and knew that Ali was in trouble. Grabbing her purse and untouched latte for the road, Jen left the office, putting up the sign that said they were closed for the day. Rob wouldn’t be happy about it. Whatever. Jen was going to rescue him whether he wanted it or not.

  Chapter 4

  Ali worked in the Shipping department. She'd never been a model employee, but somehow she'd managed to hold onto the job. Work was mind-bitingly boring. Especially the packaging line: Light flashes, pick a flyer, put it in the bag. She could live in the forest. Be raccoon year round. Another light flashes.

  Her phone buzzed while the supervisor was on the catwalk chatting with the production supervisor. Sliding the phone out just enough to see who it was, Ali groaned. Jen wouldn't call for just anything.

  Damn.

  Ali pushed the button to acknowledge her pick while answering. A few minutes on the phone with Jen. No big deal.

  What she hadn't anticipated was her supervisor's cutting short the flirtation to run down the stairs and to the packaging area.

  “No phone calls.”

  Ali was just glad the woman was out of breath from running. It gave her time to think.

  “It was a family emergency. I have to go.” Ali stepped back from the line. She had her priorities straight.

  “If you leave this building, don't bother coming back.”

  A stand off. Wolves might be tough, but raccoons were smart. And there was no way that Ali was going to be pushed around.

  “You're laying me off for a family emergency?” Ali asked the question just loud enough for a few of her coworkers to hear. Witnesses.

  “You've missed three days this year, not including the two times your car doesn't start. And you have the highest number of defects in the department.”

  “I...” Ali bit her lip.

  Did she really want to beg for her job? Must her life really be this? Day in. Day out.

  Plead with her to let you go. You have responsibilities.

  “Minnie, I really need this job.” Ali's heart sank even as she said the words. I'm such a sell out. Why don't I just leave and find another job? Is there another job to be found? What if something happens to Jen while I'm here arguing. I need to get out of here.

  “If you leave during your shift, you no longer work for us.”

  Ali handed Minnie the plastic bag in her hand. Somehow that was more dramatic than dropping it in the box. In the meantime, the line had stopped. She tried once more, “I have an emergency.”

  Minnie stared Ali down. The woman was a human. When did she develop this werewolf tendency. “Don't come back.”

  Ali needed the income. If she just walked off the job, she couldn't collect unemployment. It sucked. She needed to be in raccoon form and climb a few dozen trees, maybe scare a few dozen cats. Instead, she stepped into H.R., not even sure what she was doing. She wasn't the type to complain about her supervisors, even Minnie.

  Ali knew she wouldn't ever get an Employee of the Month award. Picking wasn't hard...unless you were daydreaming and put two of the same thing in the box or somehow pushed a button without actually picking the item.

  Not hard at all. Trained chimp and all. But not a trained raccoon. Ali just detested the boredom, so she checked out more times than not, and even simple tasks required some kind of concentration.

  She stepped into the offices in jeans and a t-shirt that said Ready for Anything. Ali always felt intimidated in the office section. Too many high heels and ties. And she had to hurry. Jen might be waiting at the doughnut shop by now.

  The woman at the desk smiled. That was a start.

  “Excuse me. I have a family emergency. I was told that if I left not to come back. I have to leave right away. Does that mean I'm being fired or laid off? The employee handbook says that I can be absent up to 7 times in a year. I'm not even close to that number of absences. I don't even have time to talk to you about it. It's that urgent, but I don't know what to do.”

  “Who is your supervisor?”

  “Minnie.”

  Picking up the phone, Ali winced when the HR rep dialed Minnie's direct line. Minnie would be so angry.

  “I have Ali here at the office. She says that you told her she couldn't come back if she left for a family emergency.”

  Ali couldn't hear more than murmuring from the other end of the line. The HR woman said, “I'll tell her.” and placed the phone quietly on the receiver.

  “Minnie said that she doesn't need you. You won't be fired, because you are still within the company's attendance policy; however, as your manager, Minnie chooses whether to continue your employment, so your job will be terminated without cause.”

  A fraction of difference between the two. But getting fired was a completely different thing from losing a job. “I'm sorry. I need to go.”

  Ali stepped into the sunshine with a sense of freedom, her heart soaring with an elation that she hadn't felt since high school graduation. She had to remind herself of the trouble brewing with Jen's dilemma, a problem for which Ali was mostly responsible.

  Her smile faded and she focused on Rob. Jen loved him. That made him Ali's friend, too. And he didn't know how much trouble she could get her friends into—not until now.

  Chapter 5

  Rob’s head ached and his stomach churned with that sick feeling people get from a sudden blow to a tender body-part, in this case, his head. He was chained in a basement, in an unfinished concrete room across from a wall of shelves with rows of canning jars that looked ancient. The basement from every horror movie known to man. Great.

  His throat tightened when he noticed the row of four cages tucked under the last shelf.

  Chained in the house he was planning to show Francis. And he thought things couldn’t get worse.

  The room spun slowly, enough to make Rob think of the after-affects of one of the rides at Silverwood®, the amusement park where he took his nieces every summer. He swallowed and closed his eyes, his wrists chafing under the manacles. Where in modern society would anyone come up with something like this? It was overkill. Ropes would have worked and those chains hurt.

  “Are you okay?”

  The voice came from the right. Rob blinked and turned his head in the direction, his stomach heaving in sudden protest. “Francis?”

  “Yes. I’m chained up over here.” Francis lifted his chains to demonstrate, not that Rob could see him at that angle.

  Rob heard the sound of metal against concrete and winced. “Are you able to get out?”

  “I’m as stuck as you.” Francis sounded apologetic and more than s
lightly annoyed.

  “Only three people knew we were going to be here. How much did they pay you?” Rob guessed that the other real estate agent wasn’t behind this when he accused Francis. He regretted not telling Jen about the meeting. But at least she was safe. Rob pushed back against the concrete, trying to relieve some of the weight on his arms, his shoulder aching from the awkward position.

  “Forty thousand. Enough for the down payment on this place. I’m sorry. I was told they were just trying to get an item back. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

  Rob thought back to the amulet Jen wore and felt a sinking feeling. If they were after the amulet, they wouldn't stop at kidnapping him. She was in danger. “So why chain us up down here?”

  “Well, the plan was to trade you for the object. I guess your assistant has it. I protested the chaining when they grabbed you. Apparently, they’re not planning to pay me the rest.” Francis had the kind of voice that rose in a nasal whine when he was upset. “I’ll still be able to make the down payment, though. Don’t worry about your commission.”

  Rob pulled on the chains with a growl that rose from his more wolfish half. “Commission? Do you think I give a damn about my commission? We’re chained up in a basement and someone is after Jen and all you care about is whether you’ll be able to buy a stupid house!”

  “Ranch. I’m going to have cows and chickens. I may even start a garden, and plant a few more fruit trees. I haven’t decided on that yet.” Francis stared into the distance with a faraway look in his eyes and his voice taking on a dreamy quality.

  “When’s the last time you’ve had any blood to drink?” Rob asked with a bite of sarcasm. Rumor had it that vampires went a little crazy if they didn’t get enough blood. Not serial killer crazy. The hard-core vampires were sociopathic serial killers to begin with and neither human nor were let that type live. For a vampire to keep a healthy mind, a kill every thirty years was important.

  The propaganda went that most vampires drank from animals or from volunteers. Not true. But Rob didn’t know that. And Francis wouldn’t tell him.

  What Rob did know is that vampires needed to drink from time to time or they get loopy, like an eccentric grandfather who loses track of time. A vampiric dream of raising farm animals and a garden seemed to fit.

  “I had a drink just a few days ago, a dog if you must know.” Francis was lying. The time span was closer to ten years and the food human, a woman in Chicago with a vampire fixation. Of course, her disappointment only lasted a few hours, by which time, she was a corpse. Another fact of which Rob was unaware, as was the general population. The whole spin on vampires falling in love and drinking animal blood cleverly covered some of the most sinister aspects of the dangerous group. A secret society of blood suckers living with a truth hinted at in literature and greatly romanticized by the public.

  But now Francis was thinking that maybe he should have something to drink...when he got out. But not a werewolf. They tasted fizzy in a bad way.

  “So do you have a plan to get out of here?” Rob asked.

  “I was hoping you could change into a wolf. The manacles wouldn't fit then.”

  “My bones would break, at least the ones in my hands. The chains are wrapped around the manacles a few times.” Rob was moon-bound, but he kept that little tidbit to himself and the explanation sounded logical to him. He'd actually never shifted when bound. Only the smaller were-animals could change outside the full moon. Each species tended to keep secrets. He imagined his bones would break inside the manacles, but he wasn't sure. He'd know if they kept him through the full moon.

  The conversation ended abruptly with the swinging of the basement door and heavy boots coming down the stairs. Rob strained to turn his head and see who was clomping, but the action nauseated him, and he immediately turned back and closed his eyes, letting his stomach settle.

  “Well, what do we have here?” The voice seemed a bit soft, definitely male, but without the edge of years that an older man carries. Still, Rob was surprised when his captor finally became visible.

  “You’re the one who chained us up?” Rob couldn’t help but let disdain creep into his voice. It was bad enough being kidnapped, but for some preppy hot-shot teenager to do it just annoyed him.

  The kid wore a leather jacket, brown and slightly worn. His hair was gelled and standing out in scruffy tufts of brown. Definitely the school bully, assuming he still went to school.

  Rob tasted bile as an overpowering smell of death and decay filled the room.

  “Watch it wolf. I only want the amulet back, but if you push me, I’ll call for back-up and you’ll be limp at the full moon. So where’s your assistant?”

  “If you hurt Jen, I’ll kill you.” This was no idle threat. Rob meant what he said and his violent push against the wall left no room for doubt.

  A shadow of fear crossed the boy’s face only to be replaced with a smooth smile.

  “I’m not going to hurt anyone. I just need it back. She’ll be here soon.” The boy fingered a knife hanging at his belt as he talked about Jen. It gave Rob a violent itch to rip the guy into tiny little pieces and scatter him across the floor. Werewolves didn't lose control often, almost never, but when they did, it was best not to be the target.

  “Why don’t you let us go?” Rob cringed at the wheedling in Francis’ voice. The guy had no self-respect.

  Garan cut his thumb and then held it over Francis’ head. The vampire strained to reach. Suddenly, his tongue darted to lick the blood dripping down. Garan jumped back suddenly and Rob found himself laughing in spite of himself.

  “Probably not a good idea to taunt a vampire.” Rob said.

  Garan turned and smiled then, fangs extracting to an inhuman length. So Garan was a vampire, too. With a self-satisfied smirk, Garan said, “You’re right.”

  Well-dressed if not well-mannered, Garan still stank. Walking into the house at first, Rob had confused the scent with Francis, but now that he recognized Garan as the vampire, he also knew that the ripe smell had deepened when Garan came down the stairs. Rob imagined Jen coming to deal with him and cold fear settled in his chest.

  As if to read Rob’s mind, Garan licked the blood off the tip of his thumb and smiled, “I suppose that pretty girl you have working for you will object to a feeding. It would be a shame to maim her in a battle of wills.”

  Rob yanked on his chains, straining against the metal and scraping the skin from his wrists. He prayed Jen would stay far away.

  The vampire didn't seem too concerned about threats from a chained werewolf. Garan stepped closer, fangs fully extended, a chilling feral gleam in his eyes. “Wolf boy in love with his secretary. Of course, wolves were never known for their forward thinking.”

  One minute Rob was growling under his breath and straining at his bonds and the next he was gagging from the overripe dead smell while the vampire attached itself to his neck.

  The only option open was a head butt to the vamp. He yanked his body away, but he was locked up tight. He managed to hit Garan on the nose with his shoulder hard enough so that the vamp looked around for a moment in a state of confusion.

  “Where were we?”

  “You were just about to let us go.” Francis said. Rob felt a chill snake down his spine when he saw the fully extended fangs and the longing in Francis' eyes while blood dripped from Rob's neck. The bite had not been clean and Rob felt gnawed on by a filthy animal.

  “No. I think I was having dinner.” For a moment Garan looked genuinely confused, and then he stared at Rob for a long hard minute. “I like the struggle.”

  Garan returned to Rob's bloody neck and nothing he could do would shake the vampire off. He'd never been chained before. It maddened him. He must have tried a dozen different ways to attack Garan with limited mobility.

  Rob lost consciousness with his shirt soaked with blood. While Francis watched, he had to admit, he was feeling a bit peckish.

  Chapter 6

  Jen paced outside the shop,
having just finished a Bavarian crème chocolate-frosted doughnut. Her purse sat on a plastic table with a large green umbrella, while Jen paced back and forth along the sidewalk. The distance from the doughnut shop to Ali’s work was only about twenty minutes. Finally, she spotted the silver mustang pulling into the parking lot. A minute later, Ali was running across the lot in the hot sun, hair flying back.

  “That took longer than I thought. Did anything happen?” Jen grabbed her purse.

  “Other than my butt getting reamed up one side and down the other.” Ali said. “I was fired or well laid off. Either way, I don't have a job.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Ali shrugged, flipping a black strand away from her eyes carelessly. “Don’t be. I hated that job anyway. So fill me in on what’s going on.”

  Ali pulled open the door to the shop and barreled in, ordering a couple of honey-glazed chocolates without the chocolate frosting and a maple bar for Jen.

  They pulled cramped seats around a small table to discuss plans for rescuing Rob. Somehow plans always involved something sweet and doughy.

  “They left me a letter.” Jen handed the paper to Ali who quickly scanned the message.

  “You can’t just give them the amulet.” Ali said.

  “No, they might kill Rob if I do. Do you have a plan?”

  “Sort of. First thing, we ditch the amulet. We can always tell the goons where it is later. Are we taking my car or yours?”

  “If they’ve been following me, they would expect my car.”

  “Right. Then we’ll stow the amulet in mine.”

  “What if they have a magical means of tracking the amulet?”

  Ali rolled her eyes. She could have an attitude sometimes. “Seriously? Why would they kidnap your boss if they could magically locate it? C’mon, Jen.”

  I wiped the corner of my mouth with a napkin, taking what little high road was left to me and changed the subject. “Anyway, the address they put down on the envelope is one of the empty houses listed. I think we might want stealth.”